The size of an operation is described in terms of the number of "seats." A seat consists of a station with two or three people alternating in several shifts to provide 24-hour call center service. The industry's main target markets include the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The Philippine's Department of Trade and Industry defines Contact Centers as a physical location where calls are placed or received in high volume for the purposes of sales, customer service, technical support, research, and others.

The table below shows the range of calls handled by Call Center Companies
in the Philippines:

OUTBOUND

INBOUND

Telemarketing

Inquiries (all types)

Advisory

Technical Help Desk

Sales Verification

Payment Authorization

Credit & Collection

Order Taking & Fulfillment

Reactivation / Reinstatement

Complaints

Loyalty Program

Customer Service

Customer Service

Disputes

Order Entry

Transcription

Requests

Electronic Eligibility

Support

Sales

Marketing/ Lead Generating

Billing

Industry Growth

The Philippine Call Center industry has experienced tremendous growth the past few years. As of end-2004, the number of seats of local players is 42,000 and employing at least 67,000 agents. The seating capacity of the industry is expected to have reached to 112,000 at the end of 2005.

Philippine Call Center Industry

Year

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

Industry Revenues (US$)

25,000,000

60,000,000

150,000,000

420,000,000

850,000,000

Seats

1,500

3,500

7,500

20,000

42,000

Revenue per Seat(US$)

16,667

17,143

20,000

21,000

20,238

Source: Board of Investments

On the average, a call center seat in the Philippines generates US$20,238 in gross revenues based on 2004 data. This figure is higher that the US$16,667 recorded in 2000 when the Philippines was just beginning to aggressively enter the call center business. The higher revenue per seat indicates a higher utilization in terms of shifts as well as a move towards more value added contact services.

The industry started mainly from providing e-mail response/handling support and technical support. It has since developed capabilities for almost any type of customer interaction, ranging from travel services, financial services, technical support services, education support services, consumer services, and on-line business to consumer support and on-line business to business support.

Local companies do not cater much to the directory assistance type of operation, which are considered to be the low-end of this business. In some instances, skills required exceed those required of programmers, e.g., agents trained in the US to take & pass Series 6 and Series 7 exams – required by US laws on securities.
Having a growth rate of over 100% annually, the number of seats of local players in this industry has mushroomed from less than 2,000 seats from year 2000 to an estimated 112,000 at the end of 2005.